Did Jesus Exist?

The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth

De: Bart D. Ehrman

Narrado por: Walter Dixon

In Did Jesus Exist? historian and Bible expert Bart Ehrman confronts the question, "Did Jesus exist at all?" Ehrman vigorously defends the historical Jesus, identifies the most historically reliable sources for best understanding Jesus’ mission and message, and offers a compelling portrait of the person at the heart of the Christian tradition.

Known as a master explainer with deep knowledge of the field, Bart Ehrman methodically demolishes both the scholarly and popular “mythicist” arguments against the existence of Jesus. Marshaling evidence from within the Bible and the wider historical record of the ancient world, Ehrman tackles the key issues that surround the mythologies associated with Jesus and the early Christian movement.

In Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth, Ehrman establishes the criterion for any genuine historical investigation and provides a robust defense of the methods required to discover the Jesus of history.

a great read for the atheist christophiles..

the author addresses all the issues which touch upon the question, but also explains why they are (or arn't) important. both mythicists views and the life of Jesus, the jewish apocalyptic preacher are explored, and it was scholarly enough to get me reading more. i wish the "works cited" of the book was also available somewhere for further reading.

Typical Ehrman....Absolutely on point!

Ehrman provides an incredibly clear overview of the scholarly consensus on the historical Jesus of Nazareth. I am unspeakably grateful to him for using logic as a razorblade to cut through all the unfounded nonsense out there on the origin of the Christian movements. This book completely changed my outlook on the faith that is so common to our country.

Fantastic

Any additional comments?

A great work by the fantastic Bart Ehrman where he gives detailed account of all the evidence for the historicity of Jesus, against the "Myhthisist" point of view. Exactly the kind of study I was looking for. Many thanks to Porf. Ehrman for this work. The narrator is excellent.

understanding

So much is misinterpreted in life and the Bible is only one. it is ok for their to be a Jesus that was Jewish.

Jesus, a Jewish Apocalyptic preacher.

In this book Dr Ehrman with some (but in my view not compelling) success tries to argue that Jesus did exist as a man and was executed as apposed to the view common amongst some groups of atheists that Jesus (man, god or both) was simply a myth and never existed at all.

The first argument presented is that the vast majority of biblical scholars believe that Jesus existed falls particularly flat, there has been many times in many fields where the vast majority of scholars in a field have been found to be wrong. Its an unhelpful argument and should have been left out.

Dr Ehrman calls those who don't believe Jesus existed in any physical form Mythicists. While I think the book succeeds in disposing many of the arguments of the Mythicists, it does not present any compelling arguments in the other direction. In the end no significant proof is presented that Jesus did exist other than the biblical sources. While Dr Ehrman presents some very good analysis of the biblical sources and makes a good argument as to the more historically plausible sections, at the end of the day one has to rely on the flawed and biased biblical sources as proof Jesus existed.

Based on this evidence, my opinion is that Jesus probably existed, but I am far from certain. After listening to this book I am actually less certain than I was, I was shocked by the lack of non-biblical references to Jesus in material dating to the first century.

Where this book shines however is Dr Ehrman's argument of Jesus as a Apocalyptic preacher similar to John the baptist. Its a well thought out argument and the most plausible argument as to who and what Jesus was I have heard. If you have read or listened to Dr Ehrmans other books and are short on time, I would suggest skipping to the final few chapters.